I'm a fellow Brit and I've been running my web biz whilst travelling for about 5 years and totally reccomend that you do it. The visa's taxes, and banking thing can be tricky and is always changing but once you've made the jump it only gets easier. I have been running my online businesses whilst travelling around South East Asia and it totally rocks. mostly renting places in Thailand as a base (and once you have an address you can get a local bank account and other stuff) then because of the different visa rules you have to leave the country every 2-3 months anyway which I like as it sort of forces me to travel more and discover the other places around South East Asia that also support theis lifestyle, Bali, The Phlippines, Malaysia, Singapore, even places that are lesser developed like Laos still have solid internet connections and it is possiable anywhere. The obvious massive bonus is how far our britsh pound goes whilst living in these places. Still having an address (a famliy member or friend)in the uk is real handy also. So you are sort of registered as living in the Uk but travel alot. Then you can keep you existing english banks going.
The biggest tip I can offer is buy the plane ticket and everything else will fall into place.
Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
91–98 of 98 posts
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is great advice. I've done something similar and found that after about 2 months you can get a flavour of what life in that country would be like. It's a fantastic thing to do, and it will completely change your perspective on life in the UK! It's incredibly important to have someone you can trust to take care of admin issues at home if you're gone a while though. My parents helped me out, but a lawyer or accoun…
You make a deal with the a really nice internet cafe with a good connection. All the kids speaking in a foreign language going crazy over video games might be distracting (especially when school comes out o_O), but it's like a rentable AC office with a good connection and cheap drinks and snacks. Or can rent a apartment that comes with it's own landline internet connection. The landlords can set it up in their name f…
Cool. My problem has been finding a room for two months with an internet connection - often there's a minimum period. It's not so bad if you like living with people, but if you live alone...
The idea about the net cafe is a nice one though - maybe I'll try that next time! :-)
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
I second that. Firsthand. Life is generally very cheap here. Overall, you will feel like walking on eggs for the two first years but after that things will be just fine. Culturally, you will need to be able to handle huge alignments. Honestly, there are ups and downs to this but you will feel alive like never before (this is a general statement about living abroad). I would advise contacting a good lawyer to help you…
Could you specify if you moved, or are you a native over there? Also, is it possible that you write something more on the "pointers with the government?"
I move here two years and a half ago. I was working for an NGO specialized in ICT and after working for a while in France (my native country) I was proposed to work in Thailand on a clinic computerization project.
Now, I'm simply being employed by a company doing OpenERP customization and implementation. I do have plans/ideas for startup-like businesses (I suppose I'm a bit conservative as far as business is concerned but, eh, I'm French..). I don't personally start a business because I don't have the economic resource to do so. I do plan however to check the water some time soon.
For the pointers, I meant a good lawyer with extensive knowledge of the processes involved in relocating/establishing a business here:
http://www.wissenandco.com/
I guess I should have mentioned all that in the first place.
@ivanstojic I read your HN profile and before you ask, there is room for consultancy here. Also, NGOs are very interested in ICT consultants and I know a guy who, with the right mix of connections and experience, makes in 6 months enough to live for a year. Networking is the key.
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is it really 2 years? You can't speed it up in any way?
The way I understand it is if you come back for residency in less than two years, CRA may have some questions.
But if you don't, and register those 2 tax years as non-resident then it would be fine?
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
How did you like living in Peru? I've thought about getting an apartment there for a short while and work on developing my business.
Peru is beautiful, but I'm not a fan of Lima's weather (think seattle). So for travel+fun I'd recommend just landing in Lima and going elsewhere in the mountains. If I did not have to recruit engineers, meet entrepreneurs or do biz dev, I'd def. stay in Cusco for a while. The food and transportation is very affordable, and really really cheap if you don't go to the touristy restaurants and instead head to el mercado…
The domain name seems to be wrong or expired.
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#96It seems to me all the answers so far make it look far more complicated than what it actually is. What I've done is just travel as tourist staying in each country around 3 months. When I "lived" in Chile I just took weekend 'visa vacations' to Argentina and had my stay extended for another 90 days. Nothing changed in terms of taxes for me, since I never really become resident of another country. Earning money online…
This can work in some places, like South America, but not in others, like Europe. In Europe you get a 90-day tourist visa within a 6-month period, so if you stay for 90 days you must leave for and stay out of Europe for another 90 days before you can return to get a new tourist visa.
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
The way I understand it is if you come back for residency in less than two years, CRA may have some questions.
But if you don't, and register those 2 tax years as non-resident then it would be fine?
That's my understanding, yes. Talk to a tax lawyer though - KPMG, E&Y or similar. No cheap, but it's money well spent if you are planning an "escape".
Re: Ask HN: Living overseas with a profitable online business
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
Peru is beautiful, but I'm not a fan of Lima's weather (think seattle). So for travel+fun I'd recommend just landing in Lima and going elsewhere in the mountains. If I did not have to recruit engineers, meet entrepreneurs or do biz dev, I'd def. stay in Cusco for a while. The food and transportation is very affordable, and really really cheap if you don't go to the touristy restaurants and instead head to el mercado…
The domain name seems to be wrong or expired.
You are right (I know my comment is old) but just in case,here is the correct url http://lima-valley.com/